1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer network and network system components, and more specifically to a component device bracket assembly that provides for the component device to be installed into and removed from an array of component devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer network server system and related components are typically housed in racks configured to house and to assimilate the functions of a plurality of component devices. System racks provide efficient organization for the plurality of components for ease of access, serviceability, expandability, power distribution, cooling, etc.
In a system rack, generally accepted and standardized sizes for the various component devices provide for efficient space utilization, ease and predictability of system configuration, serviceability, and facility location. A “rack unit” is generally accepted as being approximately 1.75 inches in height, and 17.5 inches in width, with a depth ranging from approximately 18 inches to approximately 36 inches to accommodate a plurality of component devices. A plurality of component devices are typically stacked, arrayed, or otherwise arranged within the rack, often with component devices in trays or drawers having a dimension of some multiple of a rack unit.
As is known, various system and network component devices require electrical connection as well as data connections to implement RAID array, mirroring, or other such redundancy of data and power. In the example of disk drives, the component devices are being developed in smaller and smaller dimension while accommodating more and more data. Concurrently, networks and network systems are being called on to accommodate and to process more and more data. Disk drive components, once having a form factor of 5.25 inches, have evolved to current industry standards of 3.5 and 2.5 inch form factors. An exemplary three rack unit tray can therefore house a correspondingly greater number of disk drive components in the available space. Efficient use of the space, while providing for necessary access and airflow, presents continuing challenges to the configuration and arrangement of disk drives, and other component devices within a system rack.
Disk drives of 3.5 inch and 2.5 inch form factors are typically arranged in a linear array within a system rack tray, also known as an array chassis. The disk drives are usually attached to a mid-plane or to one or more back-planes to provide the necessary electrical and data connections, and in a typical orientation of the component, the disk drive components are horizontally oriented and plugged into a vertically oriented mid-plane or back-plane. As used herein, a “horizontal orientation” describes a disk drive or other component device having a length “L” and a height “H”, oriented in a space so that length L is the longer of the two dimensions L and H, and is positioned so that length L is parallel to the plane of the floor or base of the space in which the disk drive or other component device is positioned. Height H is therefore oriented perpendicular to the plane of the floor or base, and the horizontal orientation therefore positions the disk drive or other component device with a height H oriented vertically and being shorter than the length L.
In order to achieve more efficient use of system rack space, and correspondingly more robust networks and network systems, multiple component devices may be configured to a removable mid-plane or to one or more back-planes to provide both horizontal and vertical access for insertion and removal of individual component devices and a more dense arrangement of device arrays. In typical configurations, however, access to a single component device within an array requires a plurality of component devices to be taken off line. When returned to on line, the component devices may require data to be re-built to restore desired system processing and function. Such data re-build can take excessive amounts of time, which increases with the increasing numbers and capacity of component devices that can be accommodated on a single mid-plane spanning an array chassis due to smaller sizes of the component devices.
In consideration of the foregoing, what is needed is an efficient network and network system component device array, and method of connecting and arranging a plurality of component devices to increase device density, capacity, serviceability, and to achieve a maximum economy of space.